Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

235. Refine, Reframe, Repeat: Make Your Communication a Slam Dunk

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Oct 14, 2025

Chiney Ogwumike, a professional basketball player and ESPN analyst, shares her insights on communication strategies critical for success in sports and beyond. She emphasizes the power of practice and the importance of confronting fear to build confidence. Highlights include navigating a male-dominated broadcasting landscape and advocating for authenticity over perfectionism. Chiney also offers invaluable advice for young women entering the workforce, encouraging them to embrace their unique voices and aim for incremental improvements.

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ANECDOTE

Shorthand And Nonverbal Chemistry

Chiney Ogwumike describes using nonverbal symbols and shorthand on court to communicate quickly under pressure.
She connects that same nonverbal chemistry to working seamlessly with studio partners as a broadcaster.

ADVICE

Practice Through Fear To Automate Performance

Confront your fear by practicing deliberately until the moment becomes routine.
Repeat specific drills (like free throws) so performance becomes automatic under pressure.

INSIGHT

Tiny Drops Build Lasting Mastery

Small, consistent actions compound into major growth over time.
Great coaches model showing up the same way every day to turn weaknesses into strengths.

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The road to mastery is paved with small improvements every day.

Communicating can feel daunting at times. What does it take to find your voice in the moments that matter most? As Chiney Ogwumike says, “There is freedom on the other side of your fear.”

As a professional basketball player, NBA and WNBA analyst for ESPN, and advocate for gender equality in sports, Ogwumike faces many situations where communication is critical. For her, achieving confidence in communication is the same as honing any other skill—embracing failure and refinement through repetition. “The best things in life are things you work out over long periods of time,” she says. “Great people, great communicators, anyone that's working at something, show up each and every day and just chip away, chip away, chip away, until they turn that weakness into a strength.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Ogwumike and host Matt Abrahams discuss how practice and preparation can equip us for better communication, transforming fear into confidence, perfectionism into authenticity, and weakness into strength.

To listen to the extended Deep Thinks version of this episode, please visit FasterSmarter.io/premium.

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Chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction
(02:20) - Communication on the Court
(04:02) - Performing Under Pressure
(06:11) - Lessons from Great Coaches
(08:21) - Embracing Imperfection and Authenticity
(11:43) - Strategies for Effective On-Air Communication
(16:16) - The Final Three Questions
(19:09) - Conclusion

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